Kerosene-vaporizer for motor-cars



LE ROY WERTS.

, KEROSENE VAPORIZER FOR MOTOR CARS.

. r APPLICATION HLED FEB. 12. 918.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

ATTO BY.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, n. c

LE BOY WERTS, 0F MILFORD, MISSOURI.

KEROSENE-VAPORIZER FOR MOTOR-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919. 1

Application filed February 12, 1918. Serial No. 217,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LE ROY WER'rs, a citizen of the Unitedfitates, residing at Milford, in the county of Barton and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kerosene vaporizers for Motor-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carbureters, and more especially to the vaporizing elements thereof, and has for its object to produce a construction whereby kerosene and the like shall be efliciently and quickly vaporized through heat generated by a resistance coil inclosing the vaporizer element of the carburetor.

More specifically, the object is to produce means whereby a storage battery and generator may be used with a resistance coil for producing heat to vaporize kerosene, distillate and the like, so that the same may be used for the starting and eflicient and economical operation of motor car engines, or when used with gasolene or other light and highly volatile fuels, effect the more thorough vaporization thereof for facilitating the starting of the engine in cold weather and developing more power for a given volume of fuel.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing,

in which Figure 1, is a diagrammatic view of apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a side view of the apparatus, with the dash of a motor car in vertical section.

Fig. 3, is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the vaporizer element of the apparatus.

Fig. 4, is a diagrammatic view of a resistance coil forming part of the vaporizer element.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged central section of a valve whereby the character of the fuel employed in the vaporizer is controlled.

In thesaid drawing, 1 and 2 indicate supply pipes leading respectively from suitable tanks, not shown, for holding two kinds of liquid fuel, such as gasolene and kerosene or the like, to chambers 3 and 4, controlled by valves, (not shown) and comnuinicating with chambers 5 and 6 respecfloat chambers may be of conventional type the construction thereof is not detailed.

Adjacent the float chambers is a valve for selectively controlling the character of fuel to be used, said valvebeing constructed as follows: 7 is a tapering shell containing a rotary plug valve 8, and provided with an intake port 9, for communicating with either of a pair of ports 10 and 11, of the shell, which ports are respectively connected by pipes 12 and 13, with the float chambers 5 and 6, so that gasolene or kerosene may enter the chamber of the plug valve according to the adjustment thereof. The plug is also provided with a drain tion when desired, with a drain port 15, in the shell, and from said last-named port, a drain pipe 16, leads to a convenient point of discharge. The valve is furthermore provided with diametrically opposite ports 17 and 18, in a plane between the intake and drain ports, said ports 17 and 18 communicating respectively with the shell port 19, when plug port 9,'communicates With shell portslO or 11. No claim' is made herein to the construction hereinbefore described, as the same is claimed in a copending application.

A pipe 20, leads from shell port 19, to the lower end of a vaporizer, which is so related to the float chambers that it cannot overflow, and to the drain port 15, so that it can be drained by the latter. To turn the plug valve so that it shall receive from either of said float chambers and supply the vaporizer or effect drainage of the latter, a stem 21 extends from the plug through the dash 22, of the car, and is provided with a handle 23, which the driver adjusts with port 14, at the lower end, for communicarespect to the marked disk 24, containing opposite marks G and K, for gasolene and kerosene respectively, a mark D, for drainage, and a mark N, for neutral. The adjustment of the handle to a point corresponding to a particular mark, indicates the position of the plug valve.

The vaporizer 25, is preferably provided with aheavy core which may consist of a valve-controlled branch pipe 26, of the exhaust manifold of the engine, so that the heat therefrom can be utilized in raising the temperature of the liquid fuel entering the vaporizer from pipe 20, but no claim is made herein to the construction whereby the heat of the exhaust gases is utilized as suggested. The outer wall 27 of the vaporizer is preferably of thin metal, and its chamber is partitioned from its lower to its upper end by a spiral partition 28, so that liquid fuel entering the vaporizer at one end from pipe 20, shall travel in a thin stream to the opposite end and escape from the vaporizer in the form of a vapor, through the pipe 29.

The vapor discharge pipe 29 communicates With the intake manifold 30, of the engine, and is provided within said intake manifold with a jet nozzle 31, for discharging mixed air and vapor into said manifold, and to regulate the volume of vapor or liquid fuel passing to said nozzle, pipe 29 is provided With a needle valve 32. The intake manifold is provided with the usual air intake passage 33, controlled by the customary check valve 34, not detailed.

A casing 35, of insulating mate-rial, is provided with a series of contacts 36, ex tending into a longitudinal groove 37, and electrically connected to or engaged with a Set of contacts 38 therein, of a resistance coil 39, fitting snugly around the vaporizer, so that the heat generated in the coil shall effect vaporization of liquid fuel. in the vaporizer, the inner wall 40 of the coil being perforated as shown, to facilitate the passage therethrough of heat to the vaporizer.

A bracket 41, is secured to the casing 35 and forms a journal bearing for one end of a shaft 42, operable from the drivers seat, and mounted on said shaft is a contact arm 43, for successive engagement with contacts 36. A Wire 44, extends from the bracket 41 to a two-Way switch 45, adapted to close against either of a pair of contact posts 46 or 47, and the latter is connected by a wire 48, to a storage battery 49.

The battery is connected by a wire 50, to one end of the heating coil, and by a wire 51, to a generator 52. The generator is connected by a wire 53, to contact post 46.

It will be apparent that when contact arm 43 is in the position shown by Fig. 4, and the switch is engaging the contact post 47, the curent will flow from the battery without passing through the heating coil which hence generates no heat, but that by shifting the said arm onto the successively presented contacts 36, increasing lengths of the said coil are brought into the circuit for the purpose of generating the desired volume of heat for vaporization of the liquid in the Vaporizer. lVhen the arm is positioned so that the current shall flow through the entire length of the coil, it is intended that sufficient heat shall be generated to almost instantly vaporize the liquid fuel passing through the vaporizer so that the vapor when mixed with air shall be susceptible of instant explosion. and therefore suitable for starting the engine even though the same is cold.

After the engine has been started, the vaporizer can be cut out of circuit with the storage battery and into circuit with the generator, by moving the witch lever from contact post 47 to contact post 46. The arm 43 can then be adjusted to cut out part of the coil and thereby diminish the amount of current consumption to that volume which experience directs as necessary for effecting proper operation of the engine. After the engine has been in operation long enough to get thoroughly warm it will only be necessary to keep the kerosene heated to the flashing point, which is ordinarily about degrees F ah. If conditions warrant, the circulation of current from the storage battery may be arrested by opening the switch.

The apparatus as shown can be used on cars lacking a starting system or equipped with such a system. On the former, the

entire apparatus will be used so that they can be started on gasolene and then switched to kerosene. Cars having an electric starter can start and run on kerosene or the like.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have produced a kerosene vaporizing apparatus which can be operated efficiently and economically, and by which an engine can be started as well as maintained in operation, and while I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that it is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the scope of the ap pended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a liquid fuel vaporizer, supply and discharge means therefor, a coil for heating the vaporizer, provided with a series of contacts along its length, a casing inclosing the coil and vaporizer, provided with a series of contacts in respective engagement with said contacts of the coil, an arm for engagement with either of the contacts of the casing, and a source of electric current supply in circuit with said arm and one end of said coil.

2. A vaporizer, a heating coil inclosing the same and having a perforated inner wall in contact with the vaporizer, a series of external contacts in electrical connection with said coil at different points along the length thereof, and an adjustable arm for making electrical connection with any of said contacts.

3. The combination of a vaporizer, supply and discharge means therefor, a heating coil fitting snugly around the vaporizer and provided with a series of contacts along its length; said coil having a perforated inner wall, a casing inolosing the coil and provided with a series of contacts respectively engaging the contacts of the coil, and an arm for electrical connection with any of the contacts of said casing.

4. The combination of a vaporizer, supply and discharge means therefor, a heating coil inclosing the vaporizer and provided with a series of contacts along its length and outer side, a casing inclosing the coil and provided with a longitudinal channel receiving the contacts of the coil, a corresponding series of contacts on the casing and projecting into said channel and respectively engaged therein with the contacts of the coil, and an arm for electrical connection with the outer end of any of said contacts of said casing.

5. The combination of a vaporizer, supply and discharge means therefor, a coil for heating the vaporizer, provided with a series of contacts along its length, a casing inclosing the coil and vaporizer provided with a suitable space for the accommodation of the contacts of said coil and an arm for electrical conection with any of said contacts of the coil.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

LE ROY WERTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

